Sunday Worship Service September 10, 2017 Rev. YoungMin Kim Becoming Different Revelation 2:12-17

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Sunday Worship Service September 10, 2017 Rev. YoungMin Kim Becoming Different Revelation 2:12-17 (1) I have finally become a Nokesville resident. I am adapting myself to new circumstances.

Most of all, the parsonage is too quiet and outside the parsonage is too dark at night.

1 Sunday Worship Service September 10, 2017 Rev. YoungMin Kim Becoming Different Revelation 2:12-17 (1) I have finally become a Nokesville resident. I am adapting myself to new circumstances. For example, I fumbled to find out appropriate light switches at night or I was frightened by the sound of a train when I was about to fall asleep. Most of all, the parsonage is too quiet and outside the parsonage is too dark at night. I mostly lived in an apartment in Fairfax with lights at night, car noise, noise from the upstairs neighbor, and others are parts of my life. In particular, life without television and Internet in the parsonage gives me time to read and pray. For me, the parsonage is like a monastery. Let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those who have poured out their time, money, and efforts for the parsonage to be ready. Last Sunday, we shared the church of Philadelphia. In addition to the church of Smyrna, the church of Philadelphia was the church that received only compliments from Jesus Christ. The reason was that in spite of the forces of emperor worship, idol worship, and exclusion from the Jewish community the church and its believers were to keep Jesus words and not to deny His name with little power. Today, I d like to talk about the church of Pergamum where our Lord, Jesus Christ gave both compliments and reproaches. Let us start with the context of the city and the church and determine the problems of the believers in the church. And through the church, we will discover the importance of becoming different from the world. 1

2 (2) The context of the city of Pergamum was well described in today s passage. I know where you are living, where Satan s throne is (v. 13). There are three reasons that Jesus Christ, who gave the revelation to the church, explained that the city of Pergamum is where Satan s throne is. First, in the city, people had two saviors in common against the one and true Savior: Asklepios, related to serpents, and Zeus. Its citizens believed that Asklepios was a savior because of his healing power, and Zeus was a savior who ruled as king of the gods of Mount Olympus. 1 Like the city of Philadelphia, idol worship prevailed in the city of Pergamum; but unlike Philadelphia, the Greek deities were situated in its citizens minds as saviors. Second, like other cities, Pergamum was the center of emperor worship. Unlike other cities, it was a major threat to believers in Pergamum that worship of Caesar was required for each citizen once a year. The citizens offered a pinch of incense to Caesar on his altar and professed him as Lord. After that, the citizens were given a certificate valid for one year, which allowed them to worship whatever god or gods that they preferred with impunity. 2 Thus, whether like it or not, general citizens had to worship Emperor Caesar as a citizen s duty and responsibility. And citizens who had other religions and faith, including Christian believers, also had to worship the emperor in order to legally worship their own gods. Third, matching its reputation as a pagan city, secret mystery religions, which originated from ancient Babylon, were prevalent. 3 There is no specific information Ibid. 3 Ibid. 2

3 about the mysterious religions or their secret activities, but mostly the secret mystery religion involved sexual rituals. At the time, I believe it was possible because once the followers worshiped the emperor and receive the certificate, no one was able to hinder or precluded their religious activities. To sum up, Pergamum was a pagan city where the Greek deities were situated as their saviors. Pergamum was a center for emperor worship, and a certificate to allow its worshipers to worship another god or other gods was given. And it was a city with secret and mystery religions with sexual activities and rituals. The believers in the church of Pergamum led their religious and faith lives in this context. (3) In this context of the city, there were two groups of believers in the church of Pergamum. One group included the ones who hold to the teaching of Balaam so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication (v. 14) and who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans (v.15). I hate to call them believers, but anyway those who taught and practiced the teachings of Balaam and Nicolaitans were included in the church of Pergamum. In particular, the Nicolaitans group appeared in the church of Ephesus and caused problems within the church. The teachings of Balaam and Nicolaitans were similar eating meat sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality and they allowed them within the church. It is impossible to imagine allowing the eating of meat sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality within the church. On the other hand, here is the other group who kept their faith to the point of death: You are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the 3

4 days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives (v. 13b). According to tradition, Antipas refused to worship the emperor and was burned to death in a bronze bull. 4 What good is faith without life? Churches in the first century and the twenty-first century consist of many different people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, experiences, education, occupations, political tendencies, and so on. However, the church of Pergamum was different. How did martyrs, who gave up their lives to keep their faith, and false teachers, who allowed eating meal sacrificed to idols and the practice of sexual immorality, coexist in the same church? (4) The starting point of the major threat to the Pergamum believers, like believers in the seven cities, was that they were different from its citizens who worshiped their emperors and ate meat and other food sacrificed, while the believers did not. They were different from followers of other religions who worshiped the emperor and received a certificate to worship their gods, while the believers did not. There were different from its citizens and followers of secret and mystery religions who consider that sexual morality was a part of their lives and their religious ritual, while the believers did not. Such differences made the Jewish believers true believers. In this sense, Jesus Christ called Antipas my witness and my faithful one (v. 13). The world teaches us, If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eyes for eyes, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe (Exodus 21:23-25). But Jesus teaches us, If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to 4 4

5 everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you (Matthew 5:39-42). On the contrary, the followers of Balaam and Nicolaitans teachings in the church of Pergamum tried to have common features with the city of Pergamum. When its citizens worshiped their emperor and ate meat and food sacrificed to idols, the false believers in the church of Pergamum did the same thing. When people who believed in their gods worshiped the emperor, professed that Caesar was Lord, and received the certificate to worship their gods with impunity, the false believers in the church of Pergamum did the same thing. When its citizens and followers of secret and mystery religions were involved in sexual immorality, the false believers in the church of Pergamum did the same thing. From the non-believers viewpoint, there was no difference between them. The false believers in the church made Christianity just one of many religions, made Jesus as one of many other saviors, and made believers as one of many other believers. (5) As a Christian, it is easy for us to live similarly as non-believers. We can just do what they do, and they do not see the difference between them and us. We will not create any tension with people around us. By doing so, we can lessen the Christian burdens and responsibilities, but such a Christian life makes Christianity just one of many other religions, makes God as one of many other gods, makes Jesus Christ as one of many wise men or teachers, makes believers as one of many other religious followers. 5

6 On the other hand, as a Christian, it is not easy to live different than non-believers. Sometimes we have to accept damage (or loss), and we sometimes have to give up a shortcut and take the long way around. Living different from and going the opposite way as the teachings of the world is the way to make Christianity the only true religion, make God as the only true God, make Jesus as the only true Savior, and make believers as the only true believers. Jesus calls this a narrow door. Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able (Luke 12:24). Today, God invites us to enter through the narrow door. 6

You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. Verse 3. You have patiently suffered

You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. Verse 3. You have patiently suffered 13 Chapter 2. "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: